OMG, Carrot, have you SLEPT in the last few months? I was not expecting an update so soon after the last, but I'm loving it! That way of handling Orlam was awesome.
One minor suggestion for future: Add a way to skip to certain arcs/sections. My friend had to reformat her computer and lost her save file, and it's kind of a long game to replay to find out what happens next. I've been jonesing for her to catch up so we can discuss the latest developments!
My friend and I have been enjoying your game and debating over where things are going to end up. I like how you made the central themes of the story tied to problems faced by members of different slices of the LGBTQIA+ community including aces and (I suspect from what little we know of Bucks) Aros who aren't often given a central role in much of the media out there. You've done a fantastic job of showing the headspace of people dealing with the pain of growing up in a world that pushes them into certain roles they don't fit in or that forces them to hide or be ignorant of themselves.
It's true this chapter was relatively light on the gore... but the suspense and horror were still fully realized. Playing Habanera during the dance with Gidget was a perfect choice given the song is something of a foreshadowing of the treacherous nature of love sung by a woman who is simultaneously unobtainable and a chaser of men who are unobtainable. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I loved it. It fit the scene perfectly and just really encapsulated the moment where the feelings between Gidget and Iggy were out of sync. Your descriptions of Iggy's nausea and repulsion at the thought of being forced to go beyond hand-holding and hugs hit right in the gut as they should. I winced in sympathy throughout this whole arc because while I've personally never been in Iggy's position, I've heard many, MANY stories of the pain caused by denying yourself to make someone else happy.
I'm really looking forward to the next chapter and keeping my fingers crossed that maybe we'll learn more about Buxley's deal.
